Top 20 Betrayals That Changed The World As We Know It

History books show that soldiers and generals are the ones who win wars but there are still many heroes and even villains who drastically changed the course of history and they don’t make it in the books. We are talking about spies who changed the entire outcome of wars with their espionage tactics and by bringing intelligence. This is why today we want to shed some light on the top 20 biggest betrayals that changed the course of history.

20. Benedict Arnold

We are going to kick things off with Benedict Arnold who nearly turned the American Revolutionary War into a lost cause after switching sides and starting to spy for the British. As you can imagine, Benedict Arnold is not described in a good light in US history books.

19. Christopher John Boyce

This man is going to be known as one of the biggest betrayers by the US because he sold important information about US satellites and other official papers to the Soviet Union. Christopher John Boyce spent most of his life in jail thanks to his actions.

18. Judas

Obviously, Judas had to be featured on our list of top 20 betrayals in history. He is the one who sold Jesus to the Romans for only 30 pieces of silver.

17. Hitler Betrayed Stalin

Hitler knew that the Soviet Union is an important “player” and he befriended Stalin promising him an alliance. However, Hitler soon betrayed Stalin and started invading his lands but just like Napoleon, Hitler’s mission to take over Russia during winter failed.

16. John A. Walker

John A. Walker was one of the most wanted criminals in the world after selling the location of the US Navy alongside information tactics and sensor data to the Soviet Union. It took 20 years for the FBI to catch John A. Walker but when they did it, John A. Waker was sent directly to jail.

15. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

This married couple used to live in the US and they used their citizenship as a way to gain access to valuable information about nuclear bombs and sold it all to the Soviet Union. Not just that, but the married couple also helped the Soviet Union recruit new spies.

14. Mordechai Vanunu

Even though he is a traitor, Mordechai Vanunu is a good guy. He leaked details of the Israeli nuclear weapons program to the British press. Unfortunately, Mordechai Vanunu was caught by the Mossad in Italy and he spent most of his life in jail because of his betrayal. We should also mention that he received a Nobel Peace Prize for his actions.

13. Dona Marina

Dona Marina was captured by the Spanish and she was convinced to use her indigenous linguistic skills by conquistador Henan Cortes to conquer the Aztecs. Dona Marina is nicknamed as “The screwed one” in Mexico to this day.

12. Andrey Vlasov

Andrey Vaslov was a Soviet commander during WWII and when he was captured by the Nazis, he told them everything he knew about the Soviet defenses. Not just that, but the Soviet commander also helped create an army of ex-Soviet soldiers to fight for Germany.

11. Emilio Aguinaldo

Emilio Aguinaldo was the first president of the Philippines and he betrayed his people by convincing them to surrender to Japan. The reason why he did this is that ruling a Japanese puppet government was easier for him.

10. Brutus

You have probably heard the famous expression “Et tu, Brutus?”. This is what Julius Caesar told to his own nephew, Marcus Junius Brutus after he got involved in a revolt against Caesar and killed him.

9. Mir Jafar

Mir Jafar was in charge of the Bengal Army mid 18th century and he joined hands with the enemy, the British, in order to help him get to the Indian throne. His actions alone made the Indian people lose to the British and the forces led by the East India Company.

8. Aldrich Ames

Aldrich Ames used to work for the CIA. He was an alcohol addict and his wife always wanted to buy the most expensive things and in order to get wealthy, Aldrich Ames started selling US government secrets to the Soviet Union during the 1980s. He got life in prison for his actions.

7. Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes was the figurehead of the English Catholics and he started a plot to take out everyone in the Royal Family and blowing up the Parliament by setting fire to 36 gunpowder barrels at the same time. Someone tipped off the Royal Family and Guy Fawkes was sentenced to hang, but he decided to go out on his own terms and jumped from the scaffolding.

6. Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar used to be a military and political leader in Venezuela. Unfortunately, he used his power in order to turn over Francisco de Miranda who is one of the most honorable patriots of Venezuela to Spain in exchange for a Spanish passport.

5. James Armistead

This man was the world’s first black double agent. He worked for the US back in 1781 and he pretended to be a British spy in order to gather information for the US such as the British plans for troops and arms development.

4. Sydney Reilly

While James Armistead was a double spy, Sydney Reilly took things to the next level and he spied for four different countries. This man is known as “Ace of Spies” and he worked for the following countries: United Kingdom, Russia, Japan and Germany.

3. Julian Assange

While Julian Assange might not be directly a spy or a betrayer, he did make it possible for other traitors to have a platform where they could share information. However, Assange’s goal has always been a noble one. To keep everyone informed.

2. Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden is a whistle-blower who revealed classified documents that showed the US was spying on its citizens. Edward Snowden is now living in Russia and it doesn’t look like he is ever going to come back to the US.

1. Christian Snouck Hugronje

Christian Snouck Hugronje was one of the first Westerners to be allowed to visit Mecca. He lied to everyone that he converted to Islam in order to gain their trust and used his influence in order to convince the Muslims to let the Dutch start a hostile colonial government.